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Like the proverbial London bus, Andoni Iraola has waited all summer for a Liverpool centre-back and has seemingly seen two arrive at once. And the big question for the Reds' head coach now, as he surveys his options for the Premier League trip to Newcastle United next Sunday, is whether Jeremy Jacquet or Ronald Araujo who gets the nod to start alongside captain Virgil van Dijk at St James' Park. As far as their unofficial debuts go, this was a fine night for both Jacquet and Araujo as they took their first tentative steps towards Liverpool stardom. Jacquet - a goalscorer in this 2-0 win over Serie A side Como - was perhaps the most eye-catching with his first-half display, but there was also a lot to be said about the no-nonsense, tackle-anything-that-moves approach from Araujo, who is on a season-long loan from Barcelona. At one point even team-mate Ryan Gravenberch, tackled to the ground alongside a Como attacker, felt the considerable power of Uruguay international. Liverpool's lead arrived via Cody Gakpo, who slammed home with his weaker left foot after excellent work from Jeremie Frimpong, who drove at the visiting defence before lofting the cross for his team-mate to control and finish. Frimpong then drew the plaudits down the other end with a superb tackle to deny Como inside the penalty area. At a time when the Reds look light on that side of the pitch, this was an encouraging outing from the versatile former Bayer Leverkusen man. Questions remain about where he is most effective and best suited but Iraola clearly sees Frimpong as an adventurous right-back. If he can stay injury-free, he stands a decent chance of making his second season much more productive at Anfield. Jacquet doubled the Reds' advantage on the cusp of half-time when he tapped home from three yards out after Gakpo's pass across the face. The debutant couldn't miss and it will be what he does down the other end that will come under most scrutiny. In that sense, this was an ideal debut for the £60m man, who hadn't kicked a ball since a season-ending injury at Rennes back in February, just days after his impending summer move was confirmed. It's easy to see why Liverpool rate him so highly. While his tendency to go to ground inside the area might require occasional guidance from the infinitely more experienced VVan Dijk, Jacquet still delivered a handful of expertly-timed challenges to deny Como. It is early days and the ferocity of the Premier League will provide a more accurate barometer as to his true level at this stage of his young career, but Jacquet put in a performance that demanded the shirt for Newcastle next week. The only problem for the 21-year-old was that he wasn't the only one who did that and Iraola, after weeks of shuffling his pack and relying on teenagers at the heart of his defence this pre-season, now has a much more welcome headache where his centre-back options are concerned. Despite indications that the Reds, who will have Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez back from their respective lay-offs in the coming weeks, are now well stocked in the defensive department, the issue of replacing Mohamed Salah simply rolls on into another week. It's now five months since Salah informed the world that his ninth campaign at Anfield was to be his last and yet Liverpool are seemingly no nearer hatching a plan for his successor. It was only somewhat instructive that both Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye were left out of the Paris Saint-Germain squad for the French version of the Community Shield against Lens on Sunday evening. Neither PSG wideman featured in the UEFA Super Cup win over Aston Villa in midweek and head coach Luis Enrique and president Nasser Al-Khealifi have hardly offered cast-iron assurances that Barcola in particular will remain in the French capital before the transfer window closes. But right now that means little for Liverpool as the Salah-shaped hole on the right wing looks more ominous as the days go by. Rio Ngumoha was once more trialled there before being replaced by Victor Munoz in the second period. Iraola is adamant his wide attackers must learn to operate on both flanks but it is undeniable that both Ngumoha and Munoz are more effective on the left. Right now, the imbalance when it comes to where their wingers want to play is stark. They are queueing to play wide left. Less so on the opposite flank. Only Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas would name that role as their preferred one and neither can be a serious option when the real action gets underway. At least not in a long-term sense. For Chiesa, in particular - who was unused here after playing in the behind-closed-doors draw at the AXA Training Centre earlier in the day - that ship is surely about to set sail after two years. Iraola has some stardust at his disposal and more than a few players with a point to prove after the troubled term of 2025/26. But right now, this is an incomplete Liverpool squad.